Joplimo Mattress donates bedding to Carl Junction family affected by recent tornado

Jul. 3--CARL JUNCTION, Mo. -- For the first time since the May 22 tornado, the Jones family in Carl Junction now has comfy beds on which to sleep.

Joplimo Mattress donated four mattresses, bed springs and mattress protectors to the family of five on Tuesday after learning its home and belongings were destroyed in the EF3 tornado that hit Carl Junction.

"We're so excited," said Lauren Jones, mother and wife. "The hardest thing was that my husband and I had not gone to sleep together in a bed for over a month. You really do take it for granted, so it will be really nice."

Della Croft, director of marketing for Joplimo Mattress, said the business had been demolished in the Joplin 2011 tornado, and they wanted to give back to those in Carl Junction needing help.

The company soon received word of about 60 families that were in need of assistance, which is greater than what they had originally anticipated.

"We contacted the United Way, the American Red Cross and Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and said, 'Here's the families we have. Can you help us?'" Croft said. "Some families, we were able to give discounts to, and Catholic Charities purchased some mattresses from us at a discounted rate for other families. We were able to help about 13 families."

The mattresses and products have an estimated retail value of about $4,000 total, according to Croft.

Gatlin and Lauren Jones had just moved into a barn with living quarters at 6339 Joplin Ave. and planned to refurbish the space. Lauren Jones said that they didn't have renter's insurance and only lived in the home for about two weeks before the 140 mph winds shredded it to bits.

"We had just started moving everything in on May 1, and we were going to renovate the upstairs," Lauren Jones said. "We were living in the downstairs portion, which used to be a day care. It was kind of our dream come true to start new and redo everything."

On the night of May 22, the husband and wife sought shelter with their three children -- Judd, 4, Jax, 3, and Jolene, 5-months-old -- in a laundry room in the basement after hearing reports of tornadic activity in Galena, Kansas. Huddled together in the small room, the Joneses were terrified as they listened to the tornado barreling through their neighborhood.

"I can't even begin to describe the noises we heard," Lauren Jones said. "The only thing you can think of is what's on the other side of the wall. Once we heard a car alarm go off, we knew something had happened. We walked out and Gatlin had seen our neighbor's house was completely gone."

After losing their home and most of their belongings, the Joneses temporarily stayed with Gatlin's mother in her two bedroom, two bathroom home on Central Street, but space was very limited. Lauren Jones said they had all taken turns sleeping on the floor or in a bed.

Stressful events continued to pile down on the family after the natural disaster. The next day, Lauren had sustained moderate injuries in a head-on collision while driving a family member's car.

"I had borrowed his grandmother's car to start hauling the little bits that we could spare," Lauren Jones said. "I had just left his mom's on the way back to the barn, and I was on the bridge when a car came spinning into my lane. It was 55 mph on that road and there was no braking. I just smashed right into it. It was horrible."

The tornado totaled the house, and crews are currently in the process of tearing it down. However, the family members are beginning to get their lives back on track and just signed a lease Monday to a three bedroom duplex in Haley Place.

Lauren Jones said they're blessed to have received tremendous support from family, the community and Joplimo Mattress.

"This is our home now, and we started moving in today (Tuesday)," Lauren Jones said. "We've signed this lease to start over, and we're going to take our time to find us a place that makes us feel like we're back at home again. The mattresses are helping us, and everybody can have their own rooms again."

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